Emma Pilon (Class of 2017)

Major: Ceramics and Art Administration Dual Major

I chose Marywood because I did not want to be a small fish in a big pond. I wanted to be a person, not a number, so that I could more easily develop relationships with my teachers and peers in order to get the most out of my experiences in school. I figured you have your whole life to live in a big city, but never again can you get the “campus feel” that a small, close-knit university like Marywood provides.

I am majoring in Art because creating is what fulfills me. I wake up in the morning and look forward to the work we do in class. I have a yearning desire to reach my full potential, to hone my craft and produce work that reflects my own desires, experiences, aesthetic preferences – the list goes on.

When I’m not in class, I’m working on personal projects of my own choosing, usually in the clay studio. Still, I really love spending time outdoors, doing anything from hiking with my roommates to reading on a warm day. In the cooler months though, I like to stay warm by trying different coffee shops around Scranton.

My favorite class was… other than my ceramics classes, I’ve really enjoyed my art history courses, so much so that I’m considering a minor. I had never gravitated toward history throughout my academic career until I examined it from an art perspective. I never anticipated learning so much from the stories my professors told and interpreting ancient artworks.

The coolest thing I’ve done so far was travel to Portugal. I was lucky enough to be selected for a short Study Abroad program last summer. I got to work with a collection of ancient Roman ceramics in the National Archaeological Museum of Lisbon with a fellow student. It really gave me a taste of the work I could end up doing after I graduate and solidified for me that, yes, I was in the right program of study. It was completely inspiring.

When I graduate I hope to either write for an art magazine or journal, or work in a museum or independent gallery putting together informative, thought provoking exhibits. If I’m lucky, those very exhibits could be filled with my pieces!

I’d recommend the Art program at Marywood because I am surrounded by faculty who not only want to see me succeed, but bend over backwards so that I may do so in every way possible. I am also incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by a wonderful student body, who encourage and inspire me to learn and create with fervor. This department fosters so much creativity and embraces the directions of every student. I feel as though I myself am being sculpted and refined with every passing day, confident that I will be adequately prepared for whatever it is I choose to do in the future.

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